Metastatic breast cancer is running rampant in young women. | Source

Breast cancer is scary enough as it is–it’s the leading cancer killer of women behind lung cancer. And though you may assume you’re not at risk for breast cancer because you’re young and healthy, a new study says that you may actually be at risk for an even scarier variety of breast cancer–a breast cancer that’s more aggressive and spreads more quickly in younger women.

It’s called metastatic breast cancer, and it’s super serious and super scary. Metastatic breast cancer is the kind that spreads, often to the lungs and other organs, and it works fast. And the number of metastatic breast cancer cases has tripled since doctors and researchers began to keep stricter tabs on it in the 1970s. Tripled.

Perhaps the scariest part of this metastatic breast cancer study is that doctors have no idea what’s causing the increase. They have seen a pretty strong link between obesity and breast cancer later in life, but it appears that obesity might prevent metastatic breast cancer when you’re young. What the heck?

What’s more, the study notes that the older you are when and if you have a baby, the more likely you may be to succumb to aggressive forms of breast cancer.

It’s horrifying to think about, because you figure, what are our options? To eat donuts and Cheetos all day and hope we’re on the next season of Teen Mom? (Not gonna lie, the first half of that doesn’t sound too bad right now.)

Well, not quite. But we can keep ourselves safe by doing regular self-exams, and if you sense any sort of problem–especially something super scary, like blood in your bra–go to your doctor immediately.

There’s also a teeny tiny silver lining to the rapid rise of metastatic breast cancer in young women: the mortality rate is pretty low, so as deadly as it is, with the new treatments available everyday, doctors are often able to treat and manage it well. Hopefully that helps you breathe a little bit easier!

Do you think the rise in metastatic breast cancer in young women is something to be concerned about? Does metastatic breast cancer run in your family? What steps do you take to keep yourself safe from breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer? Tell us in the comments!

This girl created an app that screens for breast cancer!

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